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Projects from our Paint & Design Studio in Australia. Inspirational and instructional how-to tips on chalk, milk and mineral paint as well as refinishing furniture, upcycling and before and after projects!

I think the very best bargains can be found when you aren't looking. I popped into an op shop I typically drive right past. I was on the hunt for vintage sheets (check out our upcoming Rag Rug Workshop) but I found this round cane chair instead for only $10! Umm..Yes, please!

I have the perfect spot for it in my guest bedroom. Loving those lines, but not feeling the yellow 1980's varnish! I've painted a fair amount of cane and wicker and have picked up some tricks along the way. In fact, I wrote a blog post on it not too long ago: Top Five Tips for Painting Wicker.

Wanting to hide the yellow-orange, I started with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Curio. Curio is rich shade of walnut brown perfect for creating the look of timber. It's also fantastic when used as a stain. It can sometimes look a bit pale when first painted on, but don't worry. It will darken and intensify as it dries and again once when it is sealed.

During: Using MMSMPin Curio to create a rich, deep base and cover the yellow varnish

Because the chair is in good shape and the varnish is intact with quite a bit of shine, I mixed the MMS Milk Paint on a roughly 1-to-1 ratio (one part water, one part paint) before adding an equal amount of Bonding Agent.

What Bonding Agent does is make Milk Paint adhere to a shiny surface. Use it when wanting MMS Milk Paint to stick to metal, glass and painted, varnished or lacquered surfaces.It has no solvents or VOCs and is water clean up.

I really thought, I wanted the chair to be white, not a crisp white, but the beautiful grey-blue-green neutral that is Miss Mustard Seed's MORA from the European range of colours. And really, if you ever want to create a gorgeous layered driftwood finish, this colour combination was perfect!

Painting over the first coat of Milk Paint which was Curio with the second lighter colour, Mora

A beautiful result, layering Mora over Curio for this driftwood effect

Now...the chair is gorgeous just like this. A coastal-inspired beauty, right? All it really needs is a touch-up here and there for the ugly spots that showed themselves and then a good topcoatto bring the finish to life.But when painting for myself I like thingscolourful, roughed up, layered, distressed, representing a life...well...less perfect!

Once again I reached for my favourite colour--Red-- known in theMiss Mustard Seed world as Tricycle.

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in the gorgeous shade of red, Tricycle

My intent was to go with a solid finish, but when I started painting, I fell in love withthe rough washed look and all the layers peeking through.Bonus? How much easier is this than paintinguntil I had a solid coat on this twisty-turny cane business?!!

By the way, have you noticed the less-than-fab paint brush in the photos?I'm a big fan of quality paint brushes when usingmilk, chalk, clay and mineral based paints. They make a big difference in the finished product.However, this does NOT apply when painting cane.Use a natural bristle brush to hold the paint,but a low-quality brush so you can shove it, drag itand push it between the cane for better coverage.See the blog post I mentioned earlier for more tips.

Adding another layer of paint, the third, to the vintage cane chair

Smiling again, neither the chair nor I knew in the beginning she was meant to be red!

I was loving this whimsical result. When in doubt...go RED! I needed to knock back some of the brightness soout came the Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax.I used the Wax straight onto the paint to dirty the colour and basically add another layer of "distressing." It this case it deepend all three colours popping through (Curio, Mora and Tricycle) and enriched them to make them look a wee bit...well, older!

Adding Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax to beautifully age and intensify the layers of paint

Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax is museum-grade with no odour, no stickiness & no nasties

In a day or two I'll add a final coat of MMSMP clear Furniture Waxfor another layer of protection.And then she'll hopefully enjoy her new surroundingswhile waiting for more lovely guests to turn up and admire her!

All finished and hopefully loving her new home

Three layers of Milk Paint love onto this vintage cane chair

Thanks so much for coming along, please ask any questions via email or leave comments below.

Love the outcome ... I am definitely on a white kick at the moment ... it goes with so much and easy to dress up or down with anything from pastels to metallics. Thanks for your time and effort to get great results!

Reply

Sada

1/8/2015 03:10:31 am

Well of course White is ALWAYS a good idea!!! Thank you so much Christine!! xx

Reply

Sada

30/7/2015 03:35:18 pm

Thanks so much Christine! White is timeless, I think you'll never be sorry with white!! Although...I also feel that way about red?!! ha ha
Thank you for your comment!!!
xSada

Reply

Jeanette

31/7/2015 07:01:29 am

Loving that outcome and the RED! Does the dark wax go on clumpy and need to be wiped?
Almost inspired to paint a larger wicker chair I have, but may leave until the weather is warmer...hopefully soon. xx

Reply

Sada

1/8/2015 03:12:11 am

Hi Jeanette!!!

No, if you use a Wax Brush the Antiquing Wax is quite easy to smooth and get into the crevices. I did not wipe it down. I waited til it hardened (overnight) and then added a coat of clear Furniture Wax. Don't forget...its safe to use indoors (although VERY MESSY!!) xxS

I love the bargains that can be found when you're not looking for them. The same happened for me about 5 years ago - I came across a high-backed cane chair at an op shop and bought it for $10. I couldn't believe it. It's been in my bedroom waiting for a make-over ... and it's still waiting for me.
Love what you have done with your chair - it's a great finish. I'll have to pop back here again to read about your tips on painting wicker.
Ciao for now.

ps: found your blog via Aussie Bloggers on FB :)

Reply

Sada

31/8/2015 03:56:22 pm

Hi Elena!

Thank you so much for your comment! That is so exciting, yes, I LOVE a good bargain! Thank you also for your kind words, please be sure to let me know if you need any help and I'd love to see the end result of your chair transformation!! xxSada